Wednesday, December 28, 2011

Days 10 and 11...Drifunkmas Nears the End

What an exciting couple of days it has been! Wayyyyy back in October I happened to check the Higher Ground calendar as I often do and saw that Matisyahu would be playing there on December 27th. The timing was perfect for an overnight in Burlington and to increase Ri's live music experience. I made a reservation at the DoubleTree right across the street (pretty much) from Higher Ground. How fortunate that the adventure coincided with the 10th day of Drifunkmas! It also coincided with the Festival of Lights, so Matt decided to buy himself a ticket and meet us over there.

The last time that I stopped in to visit Dale and Joe at Adirondack Mountain Spirits Dale convinced me that I should try a Wiki Waki Woo. Apparently Joe makes them and they do wonders for the soul. Dale has actually nicknamed them "Wackjobs" because that's what people turn into when they drink them. "Hey! Perhaps that should be the 10th drink," I thought. Dale quickly produced a pen and a piece of paper and I copied down the recipe.

Wiki Waki Woo

1/2 oz. Vodka
1/2 oz. Rum
1/2 oz. Tequila
1/2 oz. Triple Sec
1/2 oz. Amaretto

Fill with equal parts cranberry juice, pineapple juice and orange juice.

In preparation for our trip, I mixed a quadruple batch and threw it in a Nalgene bottle.


By the time we made it to our hotel room after driving to Warrensburg to pick up Ri after his wrestling tournament and a trip across the new Crown Point Bridge I was ready for a cocktail. After Mike got back from finding the ice machine, I quickly gave the premixed drinks a shake and poured. Dale was NOT kidding when she said that they were so good that Joe couldn't make the drinks fast enough. These bad boys are fantastic! When Matt arrived, we didn't even let him take his coat off before he tried it.


Eventually Matt did get his coat off, but not before he gave a resounding, "Mmmmm, that is good!"


Ri, in the meantime, enjoyed the DoubleTree cookie while playing on the iPad.



This drink was definitely a huge success. Matt rated it a 9. He said that he would have given it a 10, but he came as close as possible to getting hit by a car while crossing Rt. 2 after drinking it. Mike also rated it a 9, but only because it isn't something that he would normally drink. I'm going all out and giving it a 10. It has a great fruity flavor, but it's not too sweet. It also packs a powerful punch. I join Dale in saying that this is something you should try.

That brings us to day 11....

Blue Passion

3/4 oz. spiced rum
1/2 oz. Blue Curacao
5 oz. sweet and sour mix

Combine in a shaker and mix. Pour over ice.



Mike and I both agreed that it was a little too sour, so we added more spiced rum. That did the trick. It's an interesting tasting drink. At first we thought it had a little bit of a medicinal taste, but then it morphed into tasting like a SweetTart or Smarties. Drinksmixer.com gave it a 9.8, but Mike rated it a 6.5 and I rated it a 7. It's drinkable, but that's about it.

Monday, December 26, 2011

The Longdog

According to drinksmixer.com the Longdog was invented by Steve "Longdog" Kemmo on a late night session in Milan, May 2004. Who is Steve Kemmo? According to a Google search he doesn't have much information other than just that... he invented this drink on a late night session in Milan. If anyone can find any information beyond that, feel free to share. What was the late night session of which they speak?

Longdog

2 oz. gin
2 oz. tequila
2 oz. triple sec
2 oz. fresh lime juice
2 oz. lemonade

Pour all ingredients into a shaker. Shake well and pour into a glass filled with ice.

We were lucky enough to have some folks join us on this adventure. Quite frankly, I'd have others join us on each of the twelve days, but it just doesn't seem to fit in the schedule. Tonight we were lucky enough to have Lauren, Jean and Gar join us. Mike rated this one a 7.5 "because I liked the other ones better." Jean gave it a 7 because "that's what I give everything." I gave it a 7 as well because it was a little too sour for my taste. That leaves Gar....



Enough said.

Sunday, December 25, 2011

Days 7 and 8

Let me start out by saying that at this very moment in time I'm completely stuffed. We have spent the last two days eating like there was no tomorrow. Mid-afternoon snacks have included baked brie en croute, shrimp cocktail and many other fat and calorie loaded snickety snacks. What does one need to go with such snacks? A cocktail of course. Day 7 brought the following tasty treat:

Calm Monkey

1 oz. vodka
1 oz. Kahlua
2 oz. Bailey's Irish Cream
4 oz. milk

Pour the voda and Kahlua into a glass filled with ice. Add the Bailey's, fill the glass with milk, stir and enjoy.



Yum!!! Yum!! Yum!! This baby was so good, we had seconds. It really reminded us of a Mudslide, although I haven't had one of those in so long that I can't remember exactly what's in it. I do know that Mudslides are smooth and delicious and so was the Calm Monkey. Mike gave this one an 8.75 and I gave it a very enthusiastic 9. This drink is nothing short of dangerous. I took one sip of this and just knew that one wouldn't be enough, although when I analyzed the alcohol content I thought twice. It didn't stop me though...o.k. maybe a little. Mike and I ended up splitting the second one. We both recommend this one highly, but make sure you don't have to talk to anyone of any extreme importance after you drink it. Whew!

Day 8 brought an equally enjoyable beverage. Mike gave me two shooter glasses for Christmas today, so of course I had to use them!

Bailey's Bitch

4 oz. Bailey's Irish Cream
1 oz. vodka
1/4 banana
1/2-1 oz. whipped cream

Blend Bailey's and banana until smooth. Stir in vodka. Pour into shooter glass and top with whipped cream.



We didn't have any whipped cream, so we went without it. It was delicious! Mike rated this an 8, but only after careful contemplation. He agreed it was very, very good, but that it was a shot and not a drink. The brief encounter with the taste of this drink is somewhat disappointing. It's good enough that you want to take some time to enjoy it. I also rate it an 8 for the same reason. If I have to go through the effort to get the blender out, I want to be able to enjoy the taste of it for more than two seconds.

I realize that the ingredients for these two drinks were very similar, but they were very different drinks. We're going to move away from the Bailey's/Vodka/Kahlua combination to something different. Hmmmm... wonder what it will be....

Friday, December 23, 2011

Days 5 and 6

Well, it has been a hit and a miss over the last two days. I must apologize for not reporting daily but as everyone knows, it is a busy time of year. Day 5 of 12 brought the following:

Adios Motherfucker

1/2 oz. vodka
1/2 oz. rum
1/2 oz. tequila
1/2 oz. gin
1/2 oz. Blue Curacao
2 oz. sweet and sour mix
2 oz. 7-Up

Combine all but the 7-Up into a chilled glass filled with ice. Top with 7-Up and stir gently.



I must admit that when I look at this picture I'm impressed with the number of ingredients that are in it. It's either a drink you really have to shop for or one that uses up the small amounts left in the bottles in your liquor cabinet. You really don't need a lot of any one liquor in particular, but you do need a little bit of a lot of different liquors.

Mike and I both immediately loved this drink. Mike decided that it was two good drinks in a row and rated this one an 8.5 also. I had to agree with him and give it the same rating. It has a mild, refreshing sweetness to it, but there is a very good reason that it has the name that it does... one of these and that's what you feel like... adios, motherfucker. Woo, baby! This one does a number on your sobriety for sure!

As I stated previously, we had one hit and one miss. That brings me to tonight.

Grateful Dead

1 part tequila
1 part vodka
1 part rum
1 part gin
1 part Chambord

Combine all ingredients and shake. Pour over ice.



After tasting this, we were extremely shocked that this was rated a 9.7 on drinksmixer.com. We gave this one taste and weren't sure if we were going to be able to finish it. Mike thought that maybe it was one of those drinks that needed to sit for a bit and let the ice melt, but no, it wasn't. I just didn't work for either one of us. Although the portions were basically the same as the Adios Motherfucker, it just didn't work. Was it the Chambord? Who knows. Mike tried to say that it was the first losing drink until I reminded him of the Oreo Cookie Margarita from last year. We did the same thing with this drink... dumped it down the drain. Alcohol abuse at its finest. I'm sorry. We just couldn't do it. We're hoping for a more successful day tomorrow.

Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Skip the 4 Calling Birds

I must start out by expressing my delight about the fact that the 12 Days of Drifunkmas coincide with the final days of school before Christmas break. Working in an elementary school at this time of year is truly a mixed blessing. Watching those little faces as they take great care in describing what it is that they want brings an instant smile to my face, not to mention the teary eyes that I get watching the annual 2nd grade play. On the other hand the kids are completely out of control with excitement, which makes academics nearly impossible. It's exhausting.

That being said, a refreshing beverage is greatly appreciated after work. That leads me to tonight's drink (that I'm still enjoying).

Orange Bourbon Sour

3/4 c. Bourbon
2 c. Orange Juice
1/2 c. lemon juice
1/4 c. sugar

Combine all ingredients. Stir or shake until sugar is dissolved. Pour into glasses filled with ice. Serves 4.



This one is definitely a keeper. We had to run down to 20 Main to get some Christmas drink chips, so I made this up ahead of time. I figured it would give the sugar some time to dissolve and save me from stirring it for too long. This is the perfect beverage to mix up ahead of time to bring somewhere. I would recommend this as a beach drink due to the fact that it's tart and loaded with juice. Mike and I both liked it immediately. It was refreshing and delicious. We did adjust the recipe though, as it was a bit tart at first. Mike gave it an 8.5 and I gave it an 8 (bourbon is his liquor of choice). Give this one a try!

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

On the 3rd Day of Drifunkmas My True Love Gave to Me...

...a B-53! I'm getting ahead of myself though. Now that my energy level has returned to its normal turbo-boost state, I really should share the adventures of the 2nd day. I'm a day late, but I am NOT a drink short. Day 2 brought the following refreshing beverage:

Bacardi Cocktail



3/4 oz. light rum
1 oz. lime juice
1/2 tsp. sugar syrup
1 dash Granadine

Combine all ingredients in a shaker. Shake and pour over ice.

This was not the intended drink for the day, but sometimes you just have to fly by the seat of your pants. Simply stated, it was what we had in the house for mixers. This definitely was not a drink that would be considered memorable at all. It's not that it was bad, it was just too typical. It was a little too sour for my taste too. I added more Grenadine twice. I highly recommend more than just a "dash" of Grenadine. Mike and I both rated it a 5 out of 10. I don't have much more to add about this one. It was that boring, and the 3rd day's drink was soooooo much better.

The B-53 Shooter

2/3 oz. Kahlua
2/3 oz. Bailey's
2/3 oz. Vodka

Pour one at a time in that order over a spoon in a shooter glass.



Since we don't own any shooter glasses, I thought this might look pretty good in a martini glass. I took my sweet time pouring those fine liquids over the spoon to create the triple-layered yumminess and it really paid off. They were gorgeous! Mike quickly asked, "So we drink this all at once?" It really was impressive in size. We toasted to the 3rd day of Drifunkmas and pounded those bad boys. Mike gave this one a 7.5. I rated it an 8.5 because I love Kahlua... and Bailey's... and vodka. Three great tastes that taste great together. I definitely recommend this as a fun, "quick one" that will leave a fabulous taste in your mouth without any amount of burn.

Tomorrow brings the Orange Bourbon Sour. I can't wait! It serves 4. Anyone in?

Monday, December 19, 2011

Drifunkmas 2011

I can't believe that it has already been a year since last year's challenge of 12 different drinks in 12 days, but indeed it has. The beginning of Drifunkmas marks the return of my wonderful husband who has been working in Telluride for 14 long days. This year a day was added unexpectedly when the Telluride Express, scheduled to pick Mike up at 3:30 a.m. and sweep him off to the airport to return to his beloved wife, broke down. No shuttle to the airport means missed flight. His 7 o'clock arrival turned into the next day. That sure was a big disappointment to all of the Kirchners.

It didn't stop Mike and I from starting the 12 Days of Drifunkmas though. He walked in the door at 3 a.m. this morning and I was ready to pour. The first drink was The Nignog. Yeah, we kind of made it up. If you care to indulge yourselves, here is the recipe:

The Nignog

1 shot of bourbon
1 shot of light eggnog
Dash of nutmeg

Add bourbon to glass. Slowly pour in the nutmeg for a nice two-layer concoction. Top with nutmeg and slam it. You'll get a quick, flavorful burn followed by the taste of sweet eggnog. It's delicious and oh-so-easy to make.

I've decided to hold today's drink report until tomorrow. I'm pretty tired. It was a late night. Glad I arranged for a personal day today.